October 2013 Archive

Took the kiteboat out in low wind to try the new 40 sqm kite for the first time. This kite is part of the new quiver of kites and has the same design as the 25 and 18 sqm kites we used earlier this month. The larger sized kite proved very helpful in the low wind, but we were disappointed in the kite’s ability to hold its shape under load. This design features unusually slim struts, which worked well with a higher inflation pressure on the 18 sqm kite, but the struts do not seem rigid enough for this larger size. We noticed this problem to a lesser extent with the 25 sqm version of this kite. We’re currently working […more]

Test today for a last chance at photographing from the helicopter before Dudu goes back to Brazil. The wind was gusty and disappointingly low, but an unusual wind direction and some unexpected wildfire smoke made for good lighting and unique camera angles. We measured each of the bridle segments on the 25 sqm KW kite this morning and photographed the leading edge to check for asymmetry, but found nothing off. It does have wingtip battens that are smaller than those in the the 20, 30, and 40 sqm versions of the same design. Erika joined us again today, as did Roland Verheul.

Took the boat out today to use the new 25 sqm version of the 18 sqm red kite. The 25 sqm kite is the first to arrive of the quiver of new kites that we made using this same design (KW-18, 20, 25, 30, 40). We launched the kite off Alameda Point and searched for wind on the western side of the bay near the ballpark. After having little luck there, we towed out north of Treasure Island and got some good runs in between Alcatraz and Albany. The kite did not perform as nicely as the 18 sqm version; it tended to pull to one side, so we we will measure all of the bridles tomorrow and check for […more]